Warner Bros. is ending The People’s Court syndicated show after 26 seasons.

Ex-Miami Judge Marilyn Milian has presided over the cases (which constitute arbitration hearings re-routed from small claims courts around the country) since 2001 on the now-cancelled, long-running daytime TV series.

As this blog previously noted, unlike Judge Judy (who is still going strong with a streaming show called Judy Justice), Judge Milian took the time to explain the legal principles that generally applied to each case rather than just yelling at the litigants. Thus, the show was often quite informative amidst the sometimes-tawdry legal disputes.

Judge Milian had a tendency to do her share of grandstanding, however, and sometimes cut off a plaintiff or defendant attempting to offer additional testimony or documentation 

With her communication skills, Milian likely will be able to maintain a media presence if she wants to, and presumably her agent is looking around for such opportunities. [SEE UPDATE BELOW]

The original People’s Court starred Judge Joseph Wapner, who was made famous by Dustin Hoffman’s character in the Academy Award-winning movie Rainman that also starred Tom Cruise.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

The People’s Court, which premiered in 1997, will wrap after season 26. It has won four Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding legal/courtroom program – the most wins for a court show in the category…The People’s Court also ranks as the longest-running traditional court show and second-longest-running court show in general, with a total of 39 seasons, including the original series which ran from 1981 to 1993 with Judge Joseph Wapner.

Perhaps the show lost momentum when the hearings were handled remotely rather than in-person from the show’s Connecticut studio/courtroom.

Related story: ‘The People’s Court’ with Judge Marilyn Milian Is Going Virtual

Based on published reports, it seems like the decision (or verdict, as some writers put it) is more about revenue or lack thereof.

Warner Bros. is also ending the similar Judge Mathis program as it concludes its 24th season on the air.

From Variety:

Both shows come from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures Productions and are distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. According to insiders, the decision was made due to the declining nature of the daytime syndication landscape. As local TV stations shrink their syndication dollars and the advertising marketplace shrinks for daytime syndication, first-run syndication has become a trickier landscape. At the same time, station groups have been expanding their local news broadcasts, also in a bid to save money.

UPDATE: A new syndicated show, Justice for the People with Judge Milan, is set to debut in fall 2023, with Allen Media Group as the producer.

According to a press release, “Over the past 13 years, Allen Media Group has launched nine court series, making it the largest owner/producer/distributor of television court programming in the world.”

As part of the same announcement, the judge said that “I am extremely proud and excited to work with Byron Allen and Allen Media Group to bring Justice for the People with Judge Milian to television while helping to enhance legal news coverage for local stations this fall,”